About #poements

Poements is a project I started to document the transplant process through visual storytelling & words. I began to notice that the people around me said beautiful things about life that no one would ever hear, so I started writing them down in an effort to document their wonderfulness. Some of these are things that I have said in conversation. Others are things someone said to me when I needed advice. Some of them are even overheard. They are almost all anonymous-- I rarely give someone credit for a quote unless it is implied or said by me/it works in context. The point is the message & the words; not who said what or the situation. Take my Instagram as a curation of things that I've said or heard, and was moved by. They are moments that impacted me; that tell my story in moments. My photographer, Liam Bruce, can be contact through Instagram @liamdavidbruce if you'd like to work with him.

Q&A

What if I feel that I've been quoted and want it taken down/ want credit? Message me. I'll do it immediately if that's the case (and they're actually yours. I write down who said what. I'll know if you're lying). Most of the people quoted are people that I know personally & very well -- I normally ask, unless you're Stephanie or T.J. Then you just get put on Instagram. In the rare instance that that's not the case, I will always take down someone's words if they don't want them available. I will also always give someone credit if they want the credit/ to be tagged. This project isn't about stealing people's words or plagiarism. It's about sharing my life in meaningful snippets. I totally respect the right of other people to claim their own words. However, if something said is about you, and you don't want it on my feed, then you might have to do some convincing. There's probably a reason why it's there. Anyway, message me. I'm not about creating problems.

Are you benefiting from this financially? Nope. Not at all. I just do this for fun. I'm trying to teach myself about branding and social media. I love storytelling and want to get my masters in journalism. This is my way to do effective everyday storytelling in a unique way & I've enjoyed learning how to do it. I do not do it for financial gain. I do not do paid advertisements or product endorsements, so don't even ask. However, I would love to write essays and Op-eds professionally and I am currently writing a novel. While @Poements_ does not benefit me financially, other things on this website might. Just keep that in mind.

Why do this? When I first started looking into the transplant process, I felt the need to read other peoples stories, but I had trouble finding them documented online. I read things from Bethematch.com and Youtube videos, but nothing felt like it really clicked with me. As a young woman, I had different questions: what would this do to my body? To my relationships? To my skin? I wanted the information accessible. So I decided to make it accessible myself.

Honestly, this project is 100% about me.I want to keep myself completely accountable. I want to do things when I say I will. I want to be able to look back & see my own progress and remember things that happened and when. I'm not doing this for followers-- although I do appreciate the support a lot! The second this becomes about attention and followers, I stop doing it. The authenticity matters to me more than likes. I do very much also do this to engage with other people with disabilities, chronic illness, and cancer. I really enjoy finding people who are doing similar things or have similar experiences. I've learned so much from the disability community & love the engagement and support. My entire heart is in patient care and advocacy, because I know what it's like to feel like things are impossible (and to know that sometimes they actually are and that's okay too). This project is not about being inspirational. It's about showing real life; the realities of facing a disease. What it really does to your body, mind, and relationships without the romanticism of illness. This project is genuine.